Anger over rally rejection

October 13, 2011Admin

A local rally director has criticised a decision by the Alexandrina Council to not support motor sport events requiring council road closures in its region.The council will change its policy towards such events with some councillors believing they were dangerous, offered limited financial return and the road closures were inconvenient for residents.
But Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally director Michael Clements said the decision was “unfair” with just 10 submissions received during a 21-day public consultation period – of which only eight supported the change. He feared the council’s decision could be repeated in other regions bringing an end to motor sports in SA and said the change would have a negative effect on businesses in the Alexandrina district which benefitted from motoring events.
“If eight people can squash it in their area, there may be three or five people in another area that can do the same thing,” he said.
Reduced to two days
Mr Clements said he had received about 100 phone calls and emails from people unhappy about the decision and said his three-day event might either be reduced to two days or less of it staged in the Fleurieu Peninsula.